25 Random Things About Me

Well, I am jumping on the band wagon. I have read several blogs having posted 25 things about them and have LOVED them! I have learned so many great things about these people. It looks like a lot of fun, so I have decided to play.

1. I love stories about bodily functions. Any story with the words, "pooh", "wet pants","barf" and "pass gas" in them make me laugh til I cry.

2. I don't know who sings any song or what the words are to any song written after the 1960's. I am a Classical, Big Band, and MoTab girl all the way.

3. When Jeff and I were dating, I burned a farm truck to the ground. Whoops.

4. Thinking about, hearing about or looking at any kind of animal or anything to do with animals, while I'm eating, makes me gag...big time!

5. I have sworn that I will never scrapbook...too expensive, too time consuming, etc.

6. I love to scrapbook. It is one of my favorite things to do now. I am learning to never say never.

7. I think lobster looks so good when other people eat it, like on commercials. The thought of eating it myself makes me sick. Go figure.

8. One of my biggest pet peeves is tailgating. Please don't tailgate me while driving, or standing in a checkout line. The tail of my car, or my tail, it doesn't matter. Just don't do it. It drives me crazy!

9. I am a closet Reality TV show lover. Don't tell anyone.

10. My earliest memories are of my cutting my hair (without permission, of course), stealing a pack of gum, and pretending to "smoke" a used cigarette butt off of the road by our house in Idaho. Destined for greatness.

11. I am deathly afraid of tornados. When one touched down in Utah, I grabbed my pictures, my geneology, ran under the stairs and turned into a puddle. Seriously.

12. I have laughed so hard milk has come out of my nose. I have drunk soda with a straw, through my nose. That came out, too.

13. When I grow up, I want to be just like my mom and dad. I'm still waiting.

14. I hate shopping. I loathe shopping. Get in, get what you need, get out.

15. I cannot draw. All of my drawings are stick people and hilarious. Yet, I am a champion Pictionary game player (no, Mom, I don't cheat!).

16. I ALL of my dreams at night that I am in, I am skinny.

17. I love holding babies. Watching a baby fall asleep in my arms is a celestial treat.

18. I wear sunglasses when I drive so I can glare at tailgaters in the mirror. I am too nice to do it to their face.

19. I stay away from trends. I love anything classic.

20. I have always been partial to people way older than me. Some of my greatest friends have been grandmas and grandpas.

21. Being a mother scares the pants off of me. I wish I owned a crystal ball.

22. My favorite body part of mine are my eyes. I like the color.

23. My most embarrassing moment involves another body part.

24. My least favorite chore is emptying the dishwasher. Loading it is fine, I just can't stand to empty it.

25. Deep down, I am a little shy. No one seems to believe me, though.

Tagged

I have been tagged by my sister Kimberly. The tag is to post the fourth picture in your fourth picture folder. This is a random photo!

My fourth folder is Chase's two year old photos, starting with his birthday. I am sad that this is such a lame candid shot. None of us are even smiling! Chase seems so small to me in this picture. He sure loves his birthdays! His birthday always seems so far away to him because his birthday and Christmas as so close together. He is so creative and loves to be involved in the planning and the theme of his b-days. His birthday theme in this picture is a train. He fell in love with trains pretty early. What boy doesn't?! His first birthday was a train, 2nd...a train, 3rd...Thomas the Train. Pretty consistent, eh? 4th was gingerbread. That one was fun! 5th was penguins. What a clever kid!

I tag my cousins, Sarah and LeaAnn. Show us what you got, girls!

No Alcohol!

A few weeks ago, when my sister-in-law went on our fun trip to Salt Lake, we went to Ikea (spelling?). We were there on a mission for our husbands' business, with a few extra dollars in our pockets for us, just in case ;). Chase opened one of the fridges and saw a bottle of sparkling cider, added for a little bit of realism. Chase looked at me with disturbed brown eyes and asked, "Is that alcohol?" We have been the rounds before over things that look like alcohol, but really aren't, and it is just too confusing to a literal, straight-laced 5 year old. "Yes," I said, to avoid furthur conversation. Chase then went from display to display, opening the fridges, looking for alcohol..."alcohol...no alcohol...no alcohol...alcohol." My neice Kaylie went to her mother and said, in her concerned 5 year old tone, "Mom, Chase wants to find alcohol! Why is he looking for alcohol?" Cracking up that I am even having to have this dicussion in the first place, I mentioned that Chase had just given a talk about our bodies being in the image of God and that our bodies are a temple. It's good to know that that which we teach our children is not very far from our minds!

I have since realized that I have forgotten to blog about his talk and how proud we were of him. He spoke so clearly. He had his talk memorized and held up corrisponding pictures, his favorite being, of course, the primary cut-out of the Word of Wisdom, featuring alcohol and a big "No" circle through it. This is his talk:

I know that my Heavenly Father loves me
He has given me many things:

a prophet
temples
a family

and a body, created after His image.
That means that my body was made to look like Him.

To take care of my body I,

eat good food
keep yucky things out
gets lots of sleep and exercise.

When I take care of my body, I show my Heavenly Father that I love Him, too.

Way to go, Chase! We are so proud of you!!

It's Contagious

Monday night it snowed. Jeff plum didn't have time to shovel the driveway because he was busy taking care of Chase and I, running a tight ship. The next day, as Chase and I were walking home from preschool, Chase stopped quickly in the snow-filled driveway and said, in a very grown up voice, "Man, I gotta come out and plow the snow." I thought it was pretty cute, but not sure where this new found responsibility had come from. He rushed through lunch, I mean more than he usually does. He disappeared in the laundry room, came out bundled in his coat, dangling a scarf. "A little help, Mom, please", (okay, maybe the editor added the please!) while shaking the scarf for me to tie around his nose and face. I had completely missed his serious intentions to go out and "plow" the snow. I was so ignorant of his impending service that I even asked him, "Where ya going, sport?" He said, in his serious and mature voice, "I have worked to do outside. I'll be back in a minute, 'k?" Seriously, who is this kid?


I had to sneek out and capture a picture of this incredible boy. He worked for a very, very long time, even by adult standards. He was intent on removing any build up of snow. I heard a clang, thunk, rattle-rattle bang in the garage a while later. He simply felt that Dad's dirt shovel would be more effective. This boy did the entire driveway, and then even down the sidewalk. I fought tears watching this beautiful boy doing this incredible service. Turns out, when Chase has been talking to his dad on the phone lately, his dad has been asking him to take care of Mom. Wow. All this time Jeff has been gone in California, I have still had a man in the house. How lucky can one Mom be? I sure love my boys.



I love the randomness of most of his swipes.

My Sweetie

I have just realized that I have about three pages worth of posting I could do on Jeff and never have! I think it's about time I brag that man up!

I have been having horrible, horrible migraines for the last week and a half. I usually get them here or there, and quite infrequently at that. But lately, I have had them everyday, all day. I have been pretty miserable. Jeff has really taken one for the team.

Sunday, I almost missed church because of my headache. It hurt so bad it actually made me cry...and that's a first! But, I prayed and prayed and made it to our meetings. When I got home, Jeff sent me to bed. This may not seem like that big of an act of love to any of you. A little fact about Jeff...he worships his Sunday, after meetins' nap! So, to send me to bed, instead of him, was an incredible gesture. He fed Chase and got busy making cookies for me to take to choir practice that evening. He swept the floor, put dinner in, did the dishes, played legos with Chase. By the time Chase went to bed that night and Jeff and I could sit and visit, we were both in awe of each other...me for what that man stepped up and did all day, and Jeff for what I manage to get done each day without complaining. And it was only a Sunday! That impressed him more! The role reversal was hilarious. He was frustrated with having to "deal" with Chase all day, tired of messes on the floor and could we please take our dishes to the sink. You know, all of the tired comments that come flinging out of our mouths at the end of the day!? He said, "kudos to you for all that you do! I can't believe you not totally exhausted at the end of the day!" Am I really that great of an actress or does Jeff have that short of a memory?

Yesterday, Monday, Jeff came home early from work to check on me. He found me on our bed with the curtains drawn, Chase set up with a snack and a movie next to me. He came in for a few minutes to find out how we were, then disappeared. I thought he was at his usual after-work post, relaxing in front of the TV. A few minutes later, he came in and rifled around in some drawers. I painfully lifted my head, but couldn't glimpse what he was doing. A few minutes later, he stuck his head in to ask me what setting to wash the whites on. That man was doing laundry! He folded and put away and washed and dried! He asked Chase to come in his room and help him know where to put his clothes. I heard Chase say, "You folded clothes, Dad? You better tell Mom. She's going to be really happy!" And that I was Chase, that I was!

So, at the end of the day, with the lingering smell of dinner that I didn't even have to make, the sounds of a running dishwasher and washing machine and dryer of dishes and clothes that I didn't even have to wash, and the gentle snoring of a child that I didn't have to put to bed, that man invited me out of my cave. He asked me to come sit by him, covered me with a blanket, gave me some ibuprophen and a glass of water and asked, "You wanna watch "24" with me?"

Man, I love this guy. What a sweetheart. For all the times I complain that I don't get enough help, kudos to you, Jeff, for knowing when I really do. Thank you for all the help you are to me, without complaint. I love you, Jeff!

Pictures of Said Event

The helicopter with the life-like sounds. This was
a HUGE favorite!!


making your own animation and movies



the horse



the store

the water toy

A Little Bit of a Mean Streak

This morning, Chase dropped his toast. You know, the kind of accident where it literally looks like they just let go and let it fall. The kind of accident whose end frustration hinges souly on the item being dropped. I am sitting next to Chase and I all can see is the back of his head. He looks down and gasps and makes some inaudible sounds like, "Wha, it landed, oh uh the wha, how, that's......." He climbs back on the stool, displaying what could possibly be the cutest grin ever painted on a child. He turns to me to show me the incredible feat of his toast landing jam side up, knocks his hand into his glass of watered down cranberry juice, sending it sailing. Short lived victory. What kind of day is it going to be when it starts out with a juicy explosion all over the floor, the bar, his breakfast plate and the five year old? Hopefully, a great one!

I have been in the need of a good laugh. A good roll-on-the-floor, pants-wetting, side-splitting and tear-filled laugh lately. Enough of the sadness, I am ready to laugh!

Yesterday, my sister-in-law and I went to Salt Lake, half for errands for the hubbies and half for us to play. Our last stop was the Children's Discovery Museum at the Gateway Mall. As I sat there watching Chase and his cousins playing, I found great delight at the expense of others. I have a little bit of a mean streak.

First incident: a small child comes skipping across the room with a huge armful of plastic carrots, heading towards the farm to go feed the huge plastic horse, misjudges the distance of the huge wooden tree branch, smacks it, pings off, turns around, runs wailing to mom, still holding the armful of carrots. Saw him later, huge goose egg...still funny.

Second incident: Chase and cousins on museum roof, playing in the real, but fake helicopter. Big red button pushed, sounds of starting helicopter and rumbling engine, three children with panic on faces come spilling out of three different helicopter doors. Mom is no comfort...she is doubled over laughing, trying to not wet her pants.

Third incident: back inside at the ever popular water activity. A tall, Girl Scout chaperone standing near by, dressed to the nines, oozing make-up and piercings, turns to take a step, the heel of her Stiletto stuck in the rubber, water-proof mat. Arms and legs flailing every where as she tries to steady herself. Gets control, looks around cooly to see if any one saw her acting so unperfect, smiles at Mom as she gracefully glides past, Mom sweetly smiling back, proving she does have some scruples...waits to explode in a hysterical fit of giggle after she is around the corner and out of earshot.

So, thank you, world, for making my day. Thank you for giving me something to laugh at. I needed it. I have had even more laughs now because I have laughed while typing them. They are still funny to me! And just so you don't think I am a monster, I do have a rule about laughing at people's unfortunate mishaps. First, you check for broken bones and blood. If there is none, go ahead and laugh. I did. And it felt great!